The Nigerian government refused to discuss a prisoner transfer agreement with
Britain unless the Crown Prosecution Service dropped corruption charges
against a favoured member of the ruling party, leaked documents disclose.

James Ibori, a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party, is accused of stealing more than £196m of state funds and channelling 'dirty money' to BritainPhoto: GETTY

By Heidi Blake

2:26PM GMT 04 Feb 2011

Britain is keen to secure an agreement allowing the transfer of more than 400 prisoners back to Nigeria. There are currently more than 1,000 Nigerian inmates in British jails – costing the taxpayer around £40m a year.

But talks over the agreement stalled after Britain refused to drop charges aganst James Ibori, a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party, who is accused of stealing more than £196m of state funds and channelling "dirty money" to Britain.

A diplomatic cable from the US embassy in London claims that Nigeria's attorney general attempted to blackmail British officials into abandoning the corruption case against Mr Ibori, the former governor of the oil-rich Delta state.

The cable sent to Washington in May 2009 states: "Nigerian Attorney General (AG) Michael Aondoakaa has directly told the UK the [Government of Nigeria] will not begin negotiations on the PTA unless the UK drops its case against former Delta State Governor James Ibori and his associates".

Two months later, Lin Homer, chief executive of the UK Border Agency, disclosed to the Home Affairs select committee that Britain had offered to build a state-of-the-art new prison in Nigeria in return for the transfer of at least 400 Nigerian inmates. The offer was rejected.

Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought 170 corruption charges against Mr Ibori in December 2007, but a court in Asaba cleared him in 2009, saying there was no clear evidence on which to convict.

Southwark Crown Court froze UK assets of £17m allegedly belonging to Mr Ibori after the EFCC passed a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Mr Ibori, who denies all charges against him, was arrested in Dubai last May after the intervention of the global police agency Interpol.

Dubai's highest court has ruled in December he could be extradited to Britain to face corruption charges.

Mr Ibori's sister, Christine, and his alleged mistress, Udoamaka Okoronkwo, were convicted of money laundering and sentenced to five years in prison at Southwark Crown Court last June.

Britain and Nigeria currently have a voluntary prisoner transfer agreement in place, allowing for the transfer of prisoners on case-by-case basis, only if both governments and the individual inmate all give their consent to the move.

Negotiations over a more comprehensive compulsory agreement are ongoing.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice refused to comment on whether the Nigerian government had pressured Britain to drop the case against Mr Ibori.

He said: "The United Kingdom and Nigeria have a prisoner transfer agreement in place. The scheme allows for the transfer of prisoners between Nigeria and the UK where the consent of both states and the prisoner is obtained. A separate compulsory transfer agreement is currently being negotiated.

"We believe that prisoners should normally serve their sentences in their own country – freeing up prison spaces and saving the taxpayer money on enforced removals."